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Most journalists couldn’t have cared less if their work appeared online — and political campaigns were waged on network TV and in the big newspapers. Only the Drudge Report had cracked the code for routinely pushing stories into mainstream circulation.

Now the Web dominates the debate, as a feeder for aggregators and cable. Traffic to ideological sites is exploding. The Huffington Post — the most influential site on the left — has seen its traffic nearly double over the past year and is now bigger than The Washington Post.

Right-wing sites are rising, too. No longer is Drudge the only influential conservative site. Breitbart, a disciple of Drudge, has built a string of fairly popular sites including one carrying his own name, as well as BigGovernment.com and BigJournalism.com. These sites are often bitterly partisan — and highly effective at forcing obscure stories into the MSM bloodstream.

There is only a small market for moderation and reason. Tucker Carlson seems to be learning this with his site, the Daily Caller. He launched with dreams of offering readers conservative news without harsh tones. But his site didn’t take off until he started pounding the drums on immigration, Keith Olbermann and liberal journalists. Now it’s the toast of the right wing.

Even venerable straight-news organizations such as The Washington Post are getting lured down the partisan road, recruiting bloggers with explicit ideological agendas and giving them top billing online.

So what happens now?

One scenario is that the excesses of this new media order will in time lead to self correction.

Rem Rieder, the editor of the American Journalism Review, wrote on his site: “Not to go all Pollyanna on you, but this might be one of those episodes that — by highlighting (lowlighting?) just how absurd and untenable the current state of affairs has become — [could] have a beneficial impact.”

But history suggests that sentiment is indeed a bit Pollyanna-ish.

In 1989, George H. W. Bush promised a new era of bipartisanship, declaring: “This is the age of the offered hand.” Bill Clinton used his second inaugural in 1997 to promise citizens an “end to the politics of petty bickering and extreme partisanship they plainly deplore." George W. Bush campaigned in 2000 on “changing the tone” in Washington and pledged in his first inaugural to cultivate “harmony” instead of a “chorus of discordant voices.”

And it would be interesting to hear Obama reflect on this prediction, delivered at his inauguration in January 2009: "What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply."

Zachary Abrahamson, James Hohmann, Keach Hagey and Daniel Strauss contributed to this report.

The reason why there is so much rage becos American journalists have taken side and lost the faith and trust of the people. They have become the tools of the Democrat Party. The JournoList expose the American journalists have degraded into the status of mafioso. They behave like a bunch of mafia where they have to swear into the Code of Mafia (ie to smear the conservtives and defend the Democrat Party) so that they can be induced into the Brotherhood (ie JournoList) in order to protect their Democrat political Dons.

The American journalists have lost their moral right to preach free speech and free press around the world when they suppress, distort and smear the views of dissident politcian such as Sarah Palin while defending their Obama master at all cost. They are worse than journalists in the third world country. They are worse than the journalists in Burma, at least the Burmese journalists do not go after the family of dissident politican like Aung San Suu Kyi.

The hypocrisy and vicousness of American Lame Stream Media should be exposed and despised throughout the world.

And: So we have a race debate anew, a Rep Rangel electability/ethics story, Blagojevich (sp?), and Congress at 11% popularity.

We have more that rates to "bad news" and especially for Democrats yet really these alone are enough to finally ask "how much" about Hillary Rodham Clinton and the cost of getting her a New York Senate seat.

Surely the New York Senate seat acquiring by Hillary had to have large amounts of money moving around. And so just for race issues as she was the then still sold as "southern" "Hillary" from Arkansas moving onto New York turf as a carpetbagger.

Hillary's acquiring a New York Senate seat has to have been about race or just Rep Rangel's ethics, right?

Surely just the monies of PRESIDENT CLINTONS office and foundation locating with all its wealth couldn't have been enough to let Hillary do such a step on and step over of so many real New Yorkers long of ambitions to become a Senator for New York.

Ok, maybe Rep. Rangel did the math and realized he wouldn't be able to survive the scrutiny, the digging and scrutiny if he ran to be a black Senator for New York, and maybe he realized he could survive longer if he compromised on race and helped "Hillary and Bill" get "Hillary" the Senate seat.

"Blago" how much do you think the Clintons and their connected friends had to pay to buy former FLOTUS a New York Senate seat and with her a usurping carpetbagging candidate?

How can this not be a part of these stories and especially the Congress at 11% popularity? Really how many of "race" other than "Hillary's" "snowy white" got step on and over by Clintons somehow? Did New York change itself, or did something happen to oil the change? Was "Bill" (PRESIDENT CLINTON) and his setting up his new power base of greater power and wealth than any one Senator could rest or project, so with his GLOBAL club of "friends", enough "giving" to New York in money, or was much more called for just to ease the stomping on the dreams of less privileged and more "racial" up and comers in New York democratic representing?

Look on myblog for DEFT NEPOTIC as near most recent column, in conjunction with most recent column DEFT DRAFT to broach the "nepotism" just in FLOTUS having "healthcare job" in The White House.

"Every president since the first George Bush has delivered an inaugural address including as a main theme an appeal for more civility and less cynical conflict. Barack Obama is the fourth in a row to be thwarted in this mission."

Obama and his race hustlers CREATED this rage and uproar!!! A quick word of advice to my fellow freedom-loving conservatives out there.

The Democrats have lost the BIG government argument. The people have thoroughly and utterly rejected BIG government as evidenced by the overwhelming polls, and the creation of the Tea Party movement. The people are ****ED OFF!

That's where this race issue comes from. The Dems understand that they'll need maximum turnout of their base to keep from being totally swept in Novemeber. The Dems also understand the intelligence level of the average leftist. That's why they play the race card. They know that their base is pathetically stupid and or illogical, and that they'll respond in a Pavlovian manner to the charge of "racist."

Here are your marching orders: DO NOT GET SIDETRACKED AND BURIED IN THE WEEDS OF THIS ARGUMENT !!! That's what they want. Focus on our message, and how it differs from the damage done by the Democrats. Now go forth and save this country from totalitarians. Oh, and make sure you check your BMI (Body Mass Index) :-)

Interesstigly enough, Liberals have been using the race card out of context for so long that even my beard has changed color. I can think of MSNBC and WashingtonPost as the biggest culprits from the venues I go to read the news of the day.

It is also interesting that after 18 months of constant racial and sexist bashing about Sarah Palin and the Tea Party, it took only one video clearly out of context from the right to cause all this mess.

That goes to show that it takes hundreds of left wing nutcases to match one on the right.

How about we all stop throwing the race card for political expidiency and begin respecting each other for a change?

Michelle Obama and the NAACP started this. If it were not for Breitbart and FOX NEWS, all we would be hearing is how the Tea Party is racist and what should be done about them. The NAACP even drafted a proposal to declare the TeaParty racist. They were perpetuating lies about being spat on and called names on healthcare signing day. Breitbart only exposed the fact that there were people in the NAACP who will cheer a story about a desperate White family being discriminated against by a Black person.

Obama needs to put a leash on that big mouthed wife of his and tell the NAACP to stay out of sight for a couple of years. This is killing him politically.

Race Played Role in Obama Car Dealer Closures too. According to the administration's own Troubled Asset Relief Program Inspector General Neal M. Barofsky decisions on which car dealerships to close as part of the auto industry bailout -- closures the Obama administration forced on General Motors and Chrysler -- were based in part on race and gender.

Minorities and women were given special treatment, and the rural areas that did not vote for Obama were closed.

I can only hope that rage will drive Americans to the polls in November.

Obama wasn't vetted by the mainstream media prior to becoming president and Americans didn't get information about his background or experience, as it was sealed so nobody could get to it. There still are alot of questions about him, as well as concern he is right for the huge task of handling America during a crisis. So to counterbalance, emerges a Tea party and a right wing media, along with some investigative reporters who expose the Liberal left lies. As in the Acorn scandal, or van Jones.

Obama has set America up with his division and blame game. He finger points, he demonizes and the right media is playing it against him. The Sherrod story is another joust at Obama and the Left hypocrisy of playing up the race card when they want to. Sherrod did say some extremely racist speech during her 43 minute speech to the NAACP. The Obama administration fired her and has now repented. Seem like the Left is just getting the same tactics shoved in their face after doing it with Bush for 8 years. they just don't like it.

This rage has been around quite some time in the supposed liberal 'black' community. call it a chip on the shoulder, what's more surprising now is the natural defensive response being expressed among all other members of society now reacting to this rage. I have to ask, what took this response so long?

Ah so, now it's the 'Age of Rage' now that the Left is finally getting long overdue pushback for its news manipulation and dishonest intimidation tactics - eagerly supported by subjective and corrupt hack 'journalists' ?

Michelle Obama spoke to the NAACP prior to them voting on so called racism in the TEA Party movement. Michelle had a perfect opportunity to show leadership from the presidential family by speaking on healing racial problems rather than remain silent. Yep, the Obama's are completely happy with their racist agenda as it over shadows their attempt to fundamentally transform the U.S. into a socialist nation.

Here in Asia, people have already seen what kind of bigoted racist Obama and the American Lame Stream Media have treated us especially during the Earth Summit in Copenhagen.

The environmental pollution is mainly caused by the American and yet Obama the racist walked into the the summit like a master race and treated us Asian like a subhuman species to demand us to pay for the damage caused by the American. Obama the racist deliberately attended the conference late so that he did not have to negotiate with the subhuman Asian and instead forced us to sign our unconditional surrender to pay for the environmental pollution. It is no wonder that all people of the third world countires joined forces to reject Obama the racist during the conference.

Obama and the American Lame Stream Media have deliberately distorted the lies of global warming so that they can transform Asia into a string of environmental colonies and treat us Asian as his slaves to pay for his luxury lifestyle.

The Shirley Sherrod case has ONE critical political story that you guys are not developing.

Sherrod claimed repeatedly and clearly that a person IN THE WHITE HOUSE was the GUILTY INCOMPETENT IDIOT pressuring the usda to wrongfully FIRE her, the white house partially confessed but not fully because you useless BAD JOURNALISTS are not doing your job and obtainting factual answers. A serious and expensive tort was committed against Sherrod and if she does not sue ask yourselves why - is it appropriate to be raising her salary and sticking someone with her limited education in a higher position of authority as a payoff with taxpayer dollars? Oh, is the democratic answer for every ugly mistake - lets not talk about it and just throw more bribe money at the incompetence? There may be a crime committed by the white house employee - depending on the mental state of the reckless perpetrator - did the white house engage in due diligence with the taking of her job - NO - are they now engaging in due diligence by offering her the bribe of a more powerful job that is obviously over her head - NO - listen to Sherrod in her interviews - she sounds like an ignorant liar - wait - it'll come out - and this violently incompetent white house will have yet another mistake to cover up.

The same white house employee who made such a FUNDAMENTAL mistake, who had such SHOCKING bad judgment, is the same individual who may have input on DECISIONS ABOUT NUCLEAR WAR - stop aiding and abetting this perpetrator whose name is intentionally being shielded by this "transparent" white house. The story is even worse now that we know that the unnamed GUILTY white house employee had access to the full video tape in question but they arrogantly and stupidly refused to even watch it - Sherrod herself makes this claim.

The lame lame stream media are not journalist...just political hacks. If you what the real news watch FOX! The lame stream media continues to not report on real news that goes against their political views.